Lessons learned from chia seeds and tart cherries

Am I food obsessed? It would appear so since my last few blog posts have been about food. As I am slowly recovering from my hip injury, I am trying like heck to maintain my fitness level. A big part of fitness is eating right. My two newest finds are chia seeds and tart cherries.

Chia seeds are high fiber, rich in antioxidants and can be mixed with anything.

Tart cherries (the ones used to make cherry pie) can help ease the pain of arthritis. They have the same compound as painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin, which inhibit the the Cox-1 and Cox-2 enzymes which can cause pain and inflammation.

As I continue my quest to lead a very healthy lifestyle, here’s what I’ve learned from chia seeds and tart cherries:

1. Be persistent.

I have a very low tolerance for pain and dealing with this hip pain has been tough. My doctor prescribed some prescription pain killers, but a. they’ve very expensive, even with insurance and b. they have lots of side effects. I was procrastinating perusing the Internet when I found about about tart cherries.

Whole Foods had the juice, but it was a whoppping $7.00 for 32 ounces! Finally, Trader Joe’s got a new shipment, so I could get it for $3.99. Trader Joe’s also had the dried tart cherries, so I’m set.

2. Be creative.

I love adding the tart cherries to my morning oatmeal. I have to do something to make the oatmeal more palatable. It’s either that or pour on the sugar.

The tart cherries are also great mixed in with yogurt. I mix in the chia seeds as well and I have a nutritious, delicious and filling snack.

3. Don’t settle for the first option.

Chia seeds aren’t exactly a name-brand item. The only chia stuff I initially found was the chia pets at Walgreens. Whole Foods had the chia seeds, but they were expensive. I found the same brand on drugstore.com for half the price.

4.  Don’t be afraid to try new things.

A few weeks ago, I had never heard of chia seeds or tart cherries, but now they’re an integral part of my diet.

Have you learned anything new lately?

Chia seed photo is courtesy of Andrew Van Pernis’ Flickr Photostream, under Creative Commons Licensing.

Tart cherry photo is courtesy of Larry Page’s Flickr Photostream, under Creative Commons Licensing.